


Late at Night

by mimsical



Series: 2020 Exchanges, Bangs, and Challenges [6]
Category: Seven Kingdoms Trilogy - Kristin Cashore
Genre: Background Fire/Brigan, Gen, Nightmares, Parent-Child Relationship, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:40:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26589763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mimsical/pseuds/mimsical
Summary: The small voice woke her in the deep hours of the night.
Relationships: Fire & Hanna (Seven Kingdoms Trilogy)
Series: 2020 Exchanges, Bangs, and Challenges [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1856839
Comments: 7
Kudos: 11
Collections: Fic In A Box





	Late at Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [skatzaa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skatzaa/gifts).



The small voice woke her in the deep hours of the night, timidly tugging her from sleep. “Fire?” 

Fire blinked slowly, making a noise of drowsy inquiry. The room began to take shape around her: an empty expanse of bed, only darkness peeking out around her curtains, and the sleep-blurred shape of a child at her bedside. The sound of an animal whine crystallized the moment, and she pushed herself partway upright. “Hanna?” 

The child shuffled closer. “I had a bad dream.” 

Fire propped herself up a little higher and patted the bed. Blotchy took the invitation immediately, jumping up into the spot and then treading on Fire with his unfortunately heavy adult feet. Hanna was a little slower to follow, but she soon shuffled her way onto the bed and tucked into Fire’s side. At nine, Hanna was no longer the tiny scrap of a thing that Fire had first met, but she still fit easily under Fire’s arm. Blotchy settled across both their laps and rested his head on his paws in a piteous posture Fire could picture even in the dark, staring mournfully up at his mistress. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Fire asked in a low murmur. 

Hanna was quiet for a long moment. In the aftermath of the civil war with Mydogg and Gentian, she had had nightmares with some regularity, and it had left her with bruised under-eyes and a quieted demeanor that had worried Fire and Brigan both. With time, the dreams had lessened, and these days it was as likely to be a dream about any variety of childhood anxieties that woke her as it was to be of the war. 

“It was about Papa,” Hanna said, and Fire reflexively squeezed her closer at the wavering note in her voice. “I dreamed wolf monsters were hurting Big, and Papa went to go fight them, and… Why does he still have to do dangerous things? There isn’t a war anymore; it’s not fair. Why can’t he just come home?” She sniffled miserably and turned her face into Fire’s nightgown.

Fire smoothed a bit of loose hair behind Hanna’s ear, wishing there was an easy answer to such a painful question. “Your Papa has a big heart,” she said quietly. “He hates leaving you, and he hates the idea of sending his soldiers into danger while he holds back. None of it is fair, and he thinks of you every minute he’s away. I’m sorry, sweetheart. I promise he is one of the best there is for his duties, and he works every day to come back to us safe and sound.” 

Hanna snuggled in closer and Fire pressed a quick kiss to her hair. “I just wish he was here,” Hanna mumbled. 

“So do I,” Fire murmured. “And so do your aunt and uncles. You can always talk to them about it, too. We all love him very much.” It hurt her heart to watch a child suffer over her father’s comings and goings, knowing Hanna was aware of the kinds of danger Brigan ventured into. It was a familiar pain. “Do you want to sleep here tonight? It’s a big bed for just me. We can help each other stay warm.” She ran her fingers up Hanna’s ticklish sides to break the somber mood. Blotchy’s tail thumped against the bed when Hanna giggled. “I’ll even let you put your cold toes on me, how’s that?” 

“Can Blotchy sleep here, too?” 

“Of course he can,” Fire said. “And if you have another bad dream, we can all take a trip down to the stables. I could have the servants bring the bed so we can fit Small onto it, but I think we’d be a little crowded.” 

Hanna laughed. “His stall is too small for the bed. He’d have to be in here.” Her voice was small and sleepy. 

“Hm, you’re right. I think he’d have trouble getting in the door, don’t you?” Fire carefully rolled Hanna out of her lap and tucked her in under the blankets. Blotchy obligingly readjusted to give them more room and laid his head on Hanna’s side, tail quietly swishing across the blanket when Fire paused to pet his perked ears. 

“The other horses would be jealous,” Hanna mumbled into Brigan’s pillow. 

“Then I think Blotchy will have to be extra good and snuggle us nice and tight,” Fire smiled into the darkness at the renewed thump of Blotchy’s tail when she said his name. “Goodnight, Hanna. Sleep well.” 

Hanna made a sleepy noise in reply, and Fire carefully held her envy of a child’s ability to fall asleep so easily to herself. Still, rest was better than none, even if she lay awake for a while longer. Even after a few years getting used to each other, she missed Brigan like a dagger to the heart when he was away — a pain that only the sight of him, alive and uninjured, could soothe. He was meant to return any day now, and she and Hanna were both beginning to feel his extended time away from the palace keenly. 

Perhaps after Hanna’s lessons tomorrow, she would take her for dinner with Tess. The two were very fond of each other, and keeping busy always helped the time apart from Brigan pass faster. Or perhaps she’d take Hanna out with Small and the little pony Hanna trained on and get them both some space to breathe, away from the palace. 

Hanna would be turning ten years old soon. Her body had already begun to change. Fire treasured these little moments fiercely, knowing there would only be so many of them left while she was still small enough to fit easily into her arms. She sent a tiny wish out into the dark night, a plea for Brigan to come back safe and soon, before laying herself down again to listen to Hanna’s breathing, Blotchy’s little muffled snoring, until her mind relaxed enough to let her sleep. 


End file.
